Is it time to leave your home office?

Working from a home office can be a great setup. But, for many people, there comes a time when external office space makes more sense. Here’s how to tell if it’s time for you:

Isolation is getting to you. In spite of pursuing activities outside your home, going to business events, meeting with clients and otherwise getting involved with you community, you still feel really isolated at home. Shared office space may be the solution.

You hate working from home. The distractions — noise, kids, TV — and relaxed atmosphere make it too hard to focus. Coffee shops and the library don’t help. If that describes you, it’s time to get out of your home office.

You need to hire staff. If bringing on more staff and moving to an office will deliver more profits, that’s a great reason to move.

You’d like to look more professional. You’re in a position of regularly meeting clients and you need to bring them to your office to look at projects or equipment. Taking clients to your home feels uncomfortable — because of privacy, security or image issues. You no longer find that coffee shops, client offices and restaurants fit the bill. If this is you, you need to consider rented space.

You want to store supplies and equipment. If you haven’t got the space at home and a rented storage unit is too inconvenient, opt for rented office space.

If these situations describe you and you haven’t been able to solve your problems through any other means, it may be time to consider renting office space. Of course, that may be as simple as a drop-in cubicle or shared office space — or as fancy as a downtown office suite.